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Racing commission warns of testing and veterinary shortfalls as race days and revenue decline
Summary
The Racing Commission told lawmakers that a drop in race days, higher testing costs and fewer horses bred for racing have cut the equine testing fund and threatened the agency’s drug‑testing and animal‑welfare work.
The New Mexico Racing Commission told the Appropriations & Finance subcommittee that dwindling racing‑industry revenue, higher testing costs and a national decline in horse breeding are constraining the agency’s ability to maintain its drug‑testing and animal‑welfare programs.
Executive Director Izzy Trejo said the agency has seen a decline in live racing days (from roughly 280 race days in 2016 to 187 scheduled race days for 2025) and a 20 percent drop in the equine testing fund in the most recent year. Trejo said testing costs have risen substantially — for example, hair‑sample analysis increased from about $150 per sample to $450 per sample after a new procurement — and that the agency used general‑fund dollars in FY24 to supplement testing because wagering revenue was insufficient.
Trejo described hair testing as providing a longer detection window than post‑race blood or urine: hair can show substance use across an approximate six‑month window where blood/urine provide a shorter snapshot. “Hair testing gives us approximately a 6 month window of a horse,” Trejo said.
The Racing Commission asked the committee to restore roughly $98,200 in contractual funding that the LFC operating recommendation would reduce, and requested funding to add two veterinary positions and one investigator to support testing and animal welfare. Trejo stressed a national shortage of veterinarians and higher market pay for veterinary services; the commission currently pays contract veterinarians well above standard state salaries to attract practitioners.
During the hearing, committee members also asked about an ongoing investigation tied to races run over Labor Day. Trejo said the agency is engaged in an investigation and expected laboratory results “in the next 72 hours” that would determine whether payouts could be made for the outcomes in question.
Legislators pressed the commission on how restricted New Mexico‑bred races affect field size and wagering, and Trejo said the closed, state‑bred program reduces opportunities to attract out‑of‑state horses and bettors, which contributes to lower pari‑mutuel tax and testing funds. The subcommittee adopted the LFC recommendation for the Racing Commission’s operating budget in the hearing; members signaled they may revisit supplemental or contract funding requests during further budget deliberations.
